Train Like An Olympic Athlete

With the London 2012 Games coming upon us, I thought it might be interesting to see what it takes to get to this level of competition.

I have been fortunate in having the opportunity to meet, treat, and travel with a few elite level athletes. What has been most striking for me, is what sets these people apart. Sure, they are faster, stronger, and more skilled; but the real difference is what goes on their heads.



The Good Life?


It's funny - When we think of Olympic Athletes, we often get the image that they are living a great life outside their training. Nice house, nice car, get to eat well, get to travel to wonderful places, make a lot of money. . .

Far from it. Except for a very few countries, winning a medal itself, merits very little monetary value.
In Canada, a gold medal will earn you $20,000. Silver and bronze medalists will receive $15,000 and $10,000 respectively. The USOC pays a similar amount of $25,000 , $15,000, and $10,000 for each medal.

Other than that, there is very little pay for training year round for a chance to compete once every 4 years. Housing tends to be the cheapest rental available, hostels when travelling, and a lot of fast food. Unless one is able to get endorsements or private sponsors, this is NOT the place to make a living.

My image of the true Olympic Athlete has grown to be this - A person who competes for the true love and joy of the sport and competition. If you want money and glory, get into pro sports; and good luck to you.




So, How Do They Do It?


So, even if you have the talent, how do Olympic Athletes reach the highest level? Here are the things I've consistently seen in the elite athletes.

1. Focus.
When training, these guys aren't watching TV or reading a book while on the treadmill. If you're running you're running. No distractions.  Weight training isn't a time to catch up on gossip or talk about what happened last night. Do your reps, and focus on technique and getting stronger.

2. Train Hard. No. Correction. Train Harder.
These are the guys out running, rowing, swimming at 5 in the morning while you're still sleeping. These are the guys doing wind sprints and hill repeats in the pouring rain and howling wind. This is the guy on the stationary bike beside you that gets up and goes harder after you think they can't possibly last any longer.


3. Learning Something From Every Competition.
Whether the athlete won or lost their event, the best of the best learn something from the competition. From learning something about themselves, about their competitors, their technique, whatever, they are always striving to get better. For many of us, we are satisfied with just completing something. These guys feed off the competition and want more. Constantly.




What Can I Take Away From All This?
We may never be Olympic Athletes ourselves, but some of their methods are worth applying to everyday life.

Focus on your task at hand. Be it at work, play, with the kids, whatever; we all are too distracted with "other stuff". Stop texting, watching TV, surfing the web, and focus on what you're really supposed to be doing. Enjoy it.

If you're doing something, go hard. Be it at the gym, at work, playing an instrument. Put everything you've got into it, and when you think you've done all you can, do just a little more. That's satisfaction.

Take a minute after you're done, and try to reflect on how to make it better.


Have a great day, and keep up the comments!

5 Tips for Training in the HEAT

I just got back from a great trip in NYC over the Memorial Day Weekend. The weather was classic summer city weather; hot, hazy and humid. Still, I was able to get my traditional runs through Central Park in, and live to tell about it. It got me to thinking about how best to deal with the upcoming summer training season. Here are a few tips.
Please help me out and add to them in the comments!



1. EASE INTO IT!

If it's your first "hot" run of the year, cut down on your intensity/distance.  Heat and humidity are draining, and it's important not to kill yourself the first time out. Treat the change in weather like you've been off for a week.
Go easy and build up your stamina.

2. HYDRATION.

As a sport medicine physician, I try to recommend taking in at least 500 ml (2 cups) of water about an hour prior to going out. If this isn't possible, drink frequently to thirst, out on the run. It's NOT necessary to go crazy doing this, as drinking EXCESSIVELY can cause its own problems (like exercise induced hyponatremia (CJSM, 2008). A good method to sort out how much fluid you are losing is to weigh yourself naked prior to, and just after running. A one pound loss would be about the equivalent of 16 ounces of fluids (2 cups).

Despite what Gatorade/Powerade/whoever advertises, water is always the best choice for your fluid, UNLESS you are going out for longer than an hour, at High Intensity. If you are going longer, then adding 4-6% glucose, and a little bit of salt is worthwhile.



3. HIGH TECH CLOTHING

I'm a big fan of high tech stuff in general, and in this case, technology in clothing is important. Synthetic clothing, like Coolmax or similar, wicks sweat away much better than cotton, which tends to just retain the moisture.
Lighter colored clothing reflects most of the heat, and using a cap will keep some of the rays off your face.

4. TIME OF DAY

Pretty obvious, but getting out early in the morning, before the sun really heats things up is the best choice. It also tends to be best for lower humidity, smog, pollution, traffic and allergens. If the morning doesn't work, then the next best choice is during evening hours, after the sun has gone down.
Don't forget, even though it may seem fairly light out, have reflective gear somewhere on your body. Drivers can be pretty distracted (what with phones, texting, etc!)

5. IT'S THE HUMIDITY, NOT THE HEAT!!

Pay really close attention to the HUMIDEX reading, not just the temperature. When looking at weather reports, look at the Humidex reading, NOT the temperature. The humidex reading gives a "what it feels like" reading, by combining the straight temperature with the humidity reading. If this number gets too high for comfort, pack it in, and work out indoors that day!


Again, I appreciate all the great commentary, and would love you to add to the list! Cheers, and enjoy the heat!

Some Shoe Advice

I frequently get asked for shoe advice. This comes from walkers, new runners, friends, competitive athletes cross-training, kids; you name it.




Surprisingly, the most common question I get is,"What brand do you recommend?"
My answer is always the same. The brand doesn't matter. It's the TYPE of shoe you need to look for. And that depends on your FOOT TYPE.




What Foot Type Do I Have?


You can go see a certified pedorthist, a sport medicine doctor, or you could start by "getting your feet wet".
That's right, go wet the bottom of your feet and walk on a dry sidewalk, floor, or nice wet beach to leave an impression on the surface. What do you see?





A FLAT FOOT (pes planus), or Pronator, will tend to leave a lot of impression on the ground, as the arch "falls" to the surface when you step down.

A HIGH ARCH (pes cavus), or Supinator will tend to leave a large gap between the heel and the balls of the feet, as the arch does NOT touch the ground with foot strike.

A NORMAL ARCH, falls somewhere in between.

Each foot type benefits from a more specific shoe, and certain people are much more sensitive to these changes.




THE FLAT FOOT
So, generally speaking a FLAT FOOT tends to require a "motion stabilizing" shoe. This support aims to keep the medial (arch) part of the foot from falling inward. Each company has it's own version of this, calling it a "stability" shoe, "motion stabilizer", or some variation on this theme. You can assess it's ability in controlling the shoe by looking at TWO AREAS - THE HEEL SUPPORT, and the MEDIAL ASPECT of the shoe.

HEEL SUPPORT - Squeeze the heel cup. It should be rigid, to keep the flat foot from rollling inward (pronating). If it doesn't look for another shoe.

MEDIAL SUPPORT -Take the shoe in both your hands with the toe facing you, and the laces up. Try twisting the shoe along the longitudinal axis. If it stay rigid, good. This will keep your arch from falling when you run. IF it twists easily, again, keep looking.



DON'T BUY THE HYPE!



People with Normal or Higher Arches can get away with a wider variety of shoes and should "test" them out for cushioning, comfort and fit. If these things are present, then I tend recommend the lightest shoes you can get away with, while providing cushioning.
Most reputable shoe stores will let you take them outside for a quick run around the block, and provide a generous return policy if something isn't right.

We all tend to get excited about certain colours, styles etc, whether we're a pre-teen, a novice runner or even the most seasoned athlete. Shoe companies definitely know this and spend a mind boggling amount (advertising expenditures, from Fortune Magazine, Feb 2012) of money trying to convince you that this year's model is a must have. The technology they come up with can sometimes rival NASA!

In the end, try to ignore the flash, and make sure you find something you'll be comfortable training with on a daily basis. After all, the goal is fitness, NOT fashion (mostly!). If you MUST have the fashion, some of the companies DO allow you to customize your shoe (NIKEiD, for example).
Try to visit a store that specializes in the footwear you are intending to buy, as their sales staff tends to be much more knowledgeable, and truly keen to help you, rather than sell you. It's worth the extra couple of dollars over a big box store. Trust me.


In future posts, I'll try to address other aspects, including "barefoot" style shoes, etc.

Let me know what you think and what you'd like to see in the future!

Short on Time? Try a Fartlek!

In our hectic lives, what with work, kids, driving kids, feeding kids; well you get the idea. . .

Although it's hard to find the time to stay active and fit, a "Fartlek" might be just the ticket.

What's a Fartlek?


Fartlek is a Swedish word, which literally means "Speed Play". Coined by Swedish running coach, Gosta Holmer, in the 1930's, the training method focuses on both speed and endurance.

The beauty of the method is that is rather unstructured, with intensity and/or speed varying based on the indiviudal's desires and time. So, if you've only got a half hour at lunch, an hour after work before taking the kids to hockey practise, or only 20 minutes in the morning, you can still get a good fartlek in.

How to start.


Once you've decided to go, just go!

1. Warm up. Easy jog for a few minutes.

2. Increase Pace. Get to about 60% of your maximum pace. A good way to determine this is a pace where you would find it hard to speak a full sentence without stopping to catch your breath.

3. Speed Play. The FUN PART. Pick a distance, and GO FOR IT.  If you're on the roads, sprint 'til the next street light, mailbox, or until the end of the guitar solo on your IPod.

4. Easy Jog. Recover and catch your breath, but don't stop jogging.

5. Go back to #3 and Repeat #'s 3 and 4, until you run out time.

As you get more comfortable and confident, increase the speed part, and decrease the recovery. You'll find you get a lot more out of your workout, and perhaps even enjoy it more!

Let me know how it goes!